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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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“What is this…?”
Nam Chae-hyeon frowned as he looked at the chaotic scene. The Taoist priests of the temple approached him as he gritted his teeth, seemingly unable to control his anger.
After taking a deep breath, he spoke in a forced calm voice.
“Is anyone injured?”
“No. We almost lost someone when we missed a jiangshi, but fortunately, these people stopped it…”
Nam Chae-hyeon’s gaze turned towards us. He looked at me, tilted his head, and then asked.
“Hoo. I apologize for not recognizing a distinguished guest. I am Nam Chae-hyeon, the head priest of Changun’gwan.”
“I am Yuwol, the innkeeper of Seomhwa Village.”
I clasped my hands in greeting, and he looked momentarily puzzled before letting out a short sigh.
“Huh. The innkeeper.”
“Is there a problem?”
“No. Nothing. I sincerely thank you for your help. If an innocent person had been hurt by their attack…”
Nam Chae-hyeon stroked his white beard and sighed. Then, seeing Hongryeon and Sayun next to me, he clasped his hands towards them as well.
“I am also indebted to the Hongseong Clan. I thank the Sunset Sword.”
“No, it was nothing. It’s fine.”
“I know that the Hongseong Clan does not accept rewards for saving the powerless, but they do accept rewards for saving those with power. I cannot let this matter go unrewarded.”
He spoke firmly and turned his gaze to the other martial artists who were standing awkwardly.
As he approached and formally greeted them, I picked up the bell that the cultist had dropped earlier.
As I examined it, Nam Chae-hyeon exclaimed in admiration.
“Hoo. You have a good eye. That bell is called a Gwi-ryeong. It is used to control the goh.”
Sayun was surprised by his words.
“Control ghosts… Can it stop the ghosts of Hongseong Mountain?”
“Hahaha! The ghosts of Hongseong Mountain are famous. Well, it won’t stop them completely, but it can reduce their numbers to some extent.”
I held out the Gwi-ryeong to Hongryeon. When I held it out again to her, who was looking at me blankly with a tilted head, I took her hand and placed it on top.
“What?”
“Take it. If it can be useful in Hongseong Mountain, it’s better to use it.”
“Uh… but.”
“You were the one who actually caught the cultist.”
“Every word you say is correct. It is right for the person who caught the spoils to take them.”
Not only Nam Chae-hyeon but also the surrounding Taoist priests and even the martial artists agreed with my opinion.
This Gwi-ryeong was quite a valuable item, but it was true that if things had gone wrong, it could have been a disaster.
And it was also true that Hongryeon had done the most significant work in capturing the cultist.
“If you’re really worried, I can purify it for you. There’s no demonic energy on it, though.”
“Uh…”
“Of course, that’s not the reward. I will give you a separate reward.”
Nam Chae-hyeon spoke calmly and gestured to the Taoist priests.
As the Taoist priests of Changun’gwan began to clean up the jiangshi and organize the corpses, Nam Chae-hyeon called us and the group of Namgoong Hwa over.
“Follow me.”
Even in the Celestial Moon Order, when you cleared this kind of recurring event, Nam Chae-hyeon would come and give you the reward himself.
Therefore, I wasn’t particularly excited, but the group of Namgoong Hwa seemed completely thrilled. They couldn’t hide their excitement on their faces.
“Where is this place?”
There was also an excited child beside me. With a face flushed with excitement, Sayun looked around in wonder, and Hongryeon explained softly.
“It’s the inner hall of Changun’gwan. Not just anyone can enter.”
“Have you been here before, Head Disciple?”
“Of course. But you don’t seem very surprised?”
At Hongryeon’s gaze, I chuckled. I’ve been here many times. Of course, it was in the Celestial Moon Order.
“Hmm… I’ve never seen you surprised.”
“What. I’m human too, so of course, I get surprised. But it’s just a building. What’s so great about it?”
“Then what would surprise you?”
“I’d be surprised by anything that deviates from my expectations.”
“Ah. Is that so?”
Hongryeon smiled and walked leisurely. How long had we walked? Nam Chae-hyeon guided us into a fairly decent building inside the inner hall and sat us in a conference room-like place.
Then he spoke calmly.
“When something like this happens, our Changun’gwan offers three kinds of rewards. The first is a pill. It’s called the Changun Pill, and it heals internal injuries, so many martial artists choose this.”
Saying so, he took out a box. Did they know about the Changun Pill? The group of Namgoong Hwa were all looking only at that.
“The second is the Changun Talisman. It’s a special talisman that can only be made at Changun’gwan, and it can prevent the invasion of evil energy. It’s common to feel dizzy and unable to perform at your best when you go to places like secret realms. This talisman can prevent that, so keep that in mind if any of you are going to a secret realm.”
Confusion filled the eyes of the Namgoong Hwa group. They must have been tempted by both the Changun Pill and the Changun Talisman.
While they were conflicted, Nam Chae-hyeon placed another box on the table.
“This is the Seonseongi… Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend it to martial artists. It’s good for those who work in production.”
What he took out was a small flag. Its effect was the same as the artifact I had obtained this time, but it didn’t need to be installed and could be effective just by being planted.
Most importantly, it didn’t overlap with the artifact.
Therefore, from my perspective, that was more tempting than the other two.
“Now. If there’s something you want, take one each.”
“Uh…”
“Innkeeper Yu of Seomhwa Village will want this, right? You make various things at the inn, too.”
“That’s right.”
Nam Chae-hyeon immediately handed me the flag. As I took it and put it aside, Sayun groaned and looked at Hongryeon, who shook her head.
“This is for you to use. Get what you want.”
“Um… Excuse me. Abbot Nam.”
“What is it?”
“That flag. If you have two, is the effect doubled?”
“Not exactly, but the effect does increase a little.”
“Then…”
Sayun immediately chose the flag. And Hongryeon also chose the flag and held it out to me.
“That’s not necessary.”
“Hey. I have to give you something.”
“Yes!”
Seriously. They just don’t pick what they need.
I looked at Nam Chae-hyeon, but he was firm. No take-backs. In the Celestial Moon Order, once you chose, that was it.
No matter what, he wouldn’t change the reward you chose. He was the same here too.
“A person’s choice is very important.”
He’s really strict. In the end, I obtained three flags today.
“And Sunset Sword, for defeating the cultist. I will give you this as well.”
What Nam Chae-hyeon held out was a small jade box. Inside, there was a pill.
“Cheongun Pill?”
“Yes. Taking it will slightly heal internal injuries. And if you take it when your internal energy is depleted, it will restore it a little.”
Hongryeon, already knowing about it, held it out to me instead of putting it in her pocket.
“Why are you giving it to me?”
“Who knows when something like this might happen again? Keep it and use it when you’re in danger.”
I don’t know how often I’ll be in danger. Wouldn’t it be better for Hongryeon or Sayun, who have more chances to fight than I do, to use it?
But she insisted again, and in the end, I had no choice but to accept it.
“Th, thank you very much.”
When we came out of Changun’gwan, Namgoong Hwa and her party, who had been waiting at the entrance, approached us.
“I was more grateful. I only learned martial arts superficially. If there had been one more jiangshi, I wouldn’t have been able to stop it. If you hadn’t stepped forward without hesitation to help the Taoist priests, there would have been great damage.”
I clasped my hands towards them, and they also hurriedly returned the gesture.
As the brief greeting ended, Namgoong Hwa cut off a tassel hanging from her sword and held it out.
“If you ever have business in Hefei, please visit our clan.”
“Hmm…”
I don’t think I’ll ever go there. But how could I coldly refuse a gift? As I quietly accepted it, the others behind her also gave me their own tokens.
“If you come to Towoldang…”
“When you come to Jin Haryeong, please visit our palace.”
“If you come to Yangzhou, I hope you will visit the Ma Family.”
As I put the things they gave me into my pocket, Namgoong Hwa turned her eyes to Hongryeon. After greeting her briefly, she looked at Sayun, who was standing next to her, and smiled.
“Since you’re still a junior, can I give you a word of advice as a senior?”
“Of course!!”
“Please always hold onto the righteous spirit of the Hongseong Clan. Um… and.”
She reached out and lightly patted Sayun’s shoulder.
“You were cool back there.”
“Ah. Ahahaha…”
Sayun’s face flushed. She seemed happy to be recognized by a martial artist from another renowned family.
In addition to Namgoong Hwa, when the others said a few words, Sayun’s face became so flushed that it looked like it might burst at any moment.
“Alright, alright. Our youngest is going to collapse. Let’s stop here and part ways. And tell your sister I said hello. I look forward to seeing you when you join the Martial Alliance.”
In the end, it was only after Hongryeon intervened that they smiled and backed away.
“Ahahahaha… Tha, that’s really embarrassing.”
“You received the evaluation you deserved. As those things accumulate…”
I glanced at Hongryeon.
“You will become like the Sunset Sword.”
“Hey. She should become even greater than me.”
“…I’ll have to work hard.”
I smiled at Sayun, who clenched her fist and strengthened her resolve.
You can do it.
Definitely.
By the time we left Palseon Village, people were busy working in their workplaces.
Since we went up to Changun’gwan at sunrise and came down after looking around here and there, it took quite a bit of time.
But seeing Sayun, who seemed quite excited, made me feel warm and my heart light.
The journey back was not much different from when we went to Changun Mountain.
We rested in suitable places and moved at a moderate pace.
Of course, if we traveled like this, we would arrive around dawn, but who cares.
As we traveled leisurely, and when the sun set and the moon rose, Sa-yoon became tired and started to doze off.
“Let her sleep.”
“That’s a good idea.”
Perhaps she felt sorry for Sayun, who was nodding off while sitting. Hongryeon laid Sayun down on a blanket-covered floor. She was so tired that she didn’t wake up even when we moved her.
Smiling at her, Hongryeon got up and sat next to me.
“Sunset Sword. If you’re tired, you should sleep too.”
“Hmm…”
Hongryeon didn’t answer. And as if thinking about something, she fiddled with her lips and shook her head.
“We. Can we say we’re a bit closer now? We’ve done a lot of things together. And we’ve known each other for a while…”
“Are you asking to call you by your name?”
“Yes. It feels like it’s about time. Chae-jin doesn’t call you by your title.”
Well, Chae-jin was bound by a contractual relationship. But Hongryeon seemed dissatisfied with that.
“That’s true, but… Alright. Now, go back and…”
It wasn’t really a problem, so I nodded casually, but she didn’t go back.
“…Ahem. Hongryeon. Why don’t you go back and sit down?”
For a moment, Hongryeon stared at me silently. And.
“…Ahat.”
Chuckling softly, she nodded.
“…Alright.”
And, she addressed me politely, using honorifics that she hadn’t used until now.
She soon smiled brightly and said in a soft tone.
“Are you a little surprised now?”
It was frustrating that I couldn’t deny it.
I never expected her to use honorifics there.
With a mischievous smile, Hongryeon chuckled a few more times at my gaze, then turned her eyes to the night sky, filled with countless stars.
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